Einstein, Relativity and Absolute Simultaneity 2005 marked the centenary of one of the most remarkable publications in thehistoryofscience,Albert Einstein’s‘‘On theElectrodynamicsofMoving Bodies,’’ in which he presented a theory that later came to be known as the Special Theory of Relativity. This 1905 paper is widely regarded as having destroyed the classical conceptions of absolute time and space, along with absolute simultaneity and absolute length, which had reigned in physics fromthe times ofGalileo andNewtonto thedawnofthetwentiethcentury. As we embark upon a new century, the Special Theory is now 100 years old, and agreat deal hastranspiredin both philosophyand physics since its first publication. This volume is a timely reappraisal the theory’s central claims, especially concerning the elimination of absolute time and absolute simultaneity. Thiscollection drawstogetheressaysbybothphilosophersandphysicists, and reflects the cutting edge of research and thought on the question of absolute simultaneity. The issues discussed in the book include Aspect’s confirm of Bell’s theorem, De Broglie-Bohm’s quantum mechanics, the pri- vileged cosmic time series in a Friedman universe, Lorentz’s ideas and neo- Lorentzian theory and other relevant issues. Almost all the contributors are convinced that the received view that simultaneity is not an absolute rela- tion is not only unwarranted but false, and it is hoped that this collection willstimulatediscussionamongbothphilosophersandphysicistsconcerning thewarrantforandproblemswithassertionsoftherelativityofsimultaneity on the basis of Einstein’s theory. William LaneCraigisResearchProfessorofPhilosophyatTalbotSchoolof Theology, USA. Quentin Smith is Professor of Philosophy at Western Michigan University, USA. Einstein, Relativity and Absolute Simultaneity Edited by William Lane Craig and Quentin Smith Firstpublished2008 byRoutledge 2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OX144RN SimultaneouslypublishedintheUSAandCanada byRoutledge 270MadisonAvenue,NewYork,NY10016 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2007. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninforma business #2008WilliamLaneCraigandQuentinSmith,editorialmatterand selection;thecontributors,theircontributions Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedor reproducedorutilizedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,or othermeans,nowknownorhereafterinvented,including photocopyingandrecording,orinanyinformationstorageorretrieval system,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublishers. BritishLibraryCataloginginPublicationData AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData Einstein,relativity,andabsolutesimultaneity/editedbyWilliamLane CraigandQuentinSmith. p.cm. 1.Relativity(Physics)2.Specialrelativity(Physics)3.Absolute simultaneity.4.Spaceandtime.5.Bell’stheorem.6.Lorenz transformation.I.Craig,WilliamLane.II.Smith,Quentin,1952- QC173.585.E352006 530.11–dc22 2006015456 ISBN 0-203-70005-8 Master e-book ISBN ISBN13:978-0-415-70174-7(hbk) ISBN13:978-0-203-70005-1(ebk) Contents List of illustrations vii Introduction 1 1 The metaphysics of special relativity: three views 11 WilliamLaneCraig 2 Finding ‘‘real’’time in quantum mechanics 50 CraigCallender 3 A radical rethinking of quantum gravity: rejecting Einstein’s relativity and unifying Bohmian quantum mechanics with a Bell-neo-Lorentzian absolute time, space and gravity 73 QuentinSmith 4 Hidden variables and the large-scale structure of space-time 125 AntonyValentini 5 Non-local correlations in quantum theory: how the trick might be done 156 TimMaudlin 6 The zero acceleration discontinuity and absolute simultaneity 180 FrancoSelleri 7 Global Positioning System and the twins’ paradox 212 TomVanFlandern 8 A defense of absolute simultaneity 229 MichaelTooley 9 Cosmic simultaneity 244 RichardSwinburne vi Contents 10 Presentism, eternalism and relativity physics 262 ThomasM.Crisp 11 The Special Theory and absolute simultaneity 279 JohnLucas Index 291 Illustrations Figures 2.1 Relativity of simultaneity 51 2.2 Measurement of the singlet state 57 2.3 The preferred frame in Bohm’s theory 62 2.4 The coordination problem 64 5.1 Getting information at space-like separation 158 5.2 Distribution of mass density in a GRW collapse 168 6.1 The velocityof light relative to the rotating disk between two nearby points A and B 188 6.2 The ratio r¼cc~ðpÞ=cc~ð0Þ plotted as a function of acceleration for rotating disks of constant peripheral velocity and decreasing radius (increasing acceleration) 189 6.3 The points P and Q at rest in S , while P and Q are at rest a 0 0 in S 195 0 6.4 The zero acceleration discontinuity for the one-way velocity of light in the forward direction in the case of linear motions 197 7.1 The traveling twins’ journey to Alpha Centauri and to Beta Centauri 221 7.2 Experiment and theory both agree that a traveling twin will come backyounger than a stay-at-home twin 223 11.1 Event E is simultaneous with F which is itself simultaneous with O 283 11.2 Event G seems to be both future and past, future with respect to observers on Earth, and past with respect to the astronaut 284 Tables 7.1 Independent experiments bearing on Special Relativity – descriptions and years 218 7.2 Independent experiments bearing on Special Relativity – type and implications for reciprocity 220 Introduction 2005markedthecentenaryofoneofthemostremarkablepublicationsinthe history of science, Albert Einstein’s ‘‘On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies,’’ in which he presented a theory that later came to be known as the Special Theory of Relativity (STR). This 1905 paper is widely regarded as having destroyed the classical con- ceptions of absolute time and space, along with absolute simultaneity and absolute length, which had reigned in physics from the times of Galileo and Newton to the dawn of the twentieth century. As we embark upon a new century, the Special Theory is now 100 years old, and agreat deal hastranspiredin both philosophyand physics since its first publication. It therefore seems appropriate at this time to seek a fresh appraisalofthetheory’scentralclaims,especiallyconcerningtheelimination of absolute time and absolute simultaneity. Part I TheclassicalconceptsoftimeandspacewerecodifiedbyIsaacNewtoninhis epochal Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687). In the Scho- liumtohisdefinitionsinthePrincipiaNewton,inordertoovercomecertain prejudicesof‘‘thecommonpeople,’’whoconceiveofquantitiessuchastime, space, place, and motion only in terms of ‘‘the relation they bear to sensible objects,’’drew a distinction with respect to these quantities between ‘‘abso- luteandrelative,trueandapparent,mathematicalandcommon’’.1Themost striking feature of this distinction is the independence of absolute time and space from the relative measures thereof. Absolute time or simple duration exists regardless of the sensible and external measurements which we try, more or less successfully, to make of it. Similarly, Newtonian space is absolute in the sense that it is distinct from the relatively moving spaces associatedwith inertial frames and, hence, also independent of the physical measureswe apply to it. But Newtonian time and space arealso absolute in an important and relevant second sense. Newtonian time is absolute in the sense that the simultaneityof two events e and e requires onlyatwo-place 1 2 relation of simultaneous with between e and e , rather than a three-place 1 2